The Animal Welfare Directorate has defended its work following allegations that it euthanised dogs in its care, saying such decisions are taken “on rare occasions” and following a board decision.
In a statement issued on Thursday evening, the directorate acknowledged that its staff members sometimes had to put animals to sleep, saying this happened when faced with dogs with “high prey drive, mental illness, or an unpredictable nature.”
These dogs could not be adopted out to the public and sentencing them to “life in a pen with minimal to no human contact” was a welfare concern in itself, the directorate said.
In such cases, dogs were put down after factoring in the animal’s welfare, the risk it posed to other animals and the safety of humans, it said.
“Management is using the resources available to rehome as many dogs as possible safely and responsibly,” it said, adding that its first responsibility was to “take care of the animals under its guardianship.”
The directorate’s statement comes some days after Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina indicated that she was investigating the directorate’s procedures, following reports that dogs under its care were euthanised.
Bezzina had urged anyone wishing to contribute to her office’s investigation to email caw.mafa@gov.mt.
In its statement, the directorate said that various allegations were circulating on social media and being shared by “misinformed persons”.
It listed and denied several of those claims.
They include allegations that pit bulls are put to sleep because of their breed (“the directorate has successfully homed 21 pitbull/bully-cross dogs this year alone”) and claims that dogs are put to sleep because of a lack of space (“when dog and cat sections reach full capacity the directorate outsources boarding to a private entity”).
The directorate also dismissed allegations that volunteers are asked to sign non-disclosure agreements to ensure they keep quiet about the way the directorate is run, saying the data protection form this allegation referred to existed “to ensure that court proceedings related to the animals in Animal Welfare care are not hindered or jeopardised.”
It also said that it was not true that any dog that is aggressive is put to sleep, adding that various forms of aggression exist.
“Certain types of aggression where there are no warning signs, unprovoked bite attacks, lack of a show of remorse following an attack and extreme prey drive, amongst others, are just some of the issues taken into consideration when determining whether a dog has a medical behavioural issue and is a candidate for rehabilitation or whether it is likely to remain unpredictable and therefore pose a serious risk of injury,” it said.